A Fashion Designer's DIY Wedding in Brooklyn, New York

The day Milo met Mallory in April of 2012 at a picnic with mutual friends in Central Park, he said, "I'm going to marry her." Exactly a year later, Milo was ready to make good on his word, so he brought Mallory back to the exact spot they had met and got down on one knee. Finding the perfect location to say their "I dos" was the most difficult part of the planning process for this couple. The pair spent a year of their engagement going back and forth between three different locales: Milo's hometown in Florida, Mallory's hometown in Maine, or a family home in North Carolina. In the end, the final choice was an obvious one; they'd tie the knot in the place they call home together — Brooklyn, New York.

On June 27, 2015, 130 guests joined Mallory and Milo at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Cultures, a charming mansion in Park Slope that's rarely used as a wedding venue but spoke to this bride and groom's aesthetic. "When I first walked inside I had to look past the finger paintings and paper mache craft corners to recognize the diamond in the rough," Mallory said. But if anyone could recognize a venue's hidden potential, it's Mallory, a fashion designer by day. She started her plans by creating a mood board and once she had a clear vision, she and Milo enlisted the help of planner Jen Kim. Shane Carpenter of Readyluck Photography was there to capture every creative touch of this couple's Southern-meets-modern celebration in the heart of Brooklyn.

Nearly everything at Mallory and Milo's nuptials was DIY &mdash from the bride's hand-sewed wedding dress to the bridesmaids' attire. "I could see the fear in people's eyes when I told them my undertaking, but this is what I do for a living," the bride says. In fact, Mallory has wedding dress designs dating back all the way to her very first sketchbook, so it was clear this bride knew exactly what she wanted to create.

She designed a silk charmeuse and organza skirt covered entirely in custom embroidery. Mallory purposefully kept her accessories minimal so that her pearl-embellished ceremony veil would steal the show. She added patent leather Jimmy Choo sandals with gold heels to finish her look.

Milo wore a Dolce and Gabbana tuxedo paired with a velvet tie that was embroidered to match the bride's gown and velvet loafers.

Mallory and her bridesmaids enjoyed working on their dresses together. Each woman wore a design in a different shade of nude and mauve. Their dresses featured a variety of unique necklines but worked together thanks to Mallory's careful inclusion of matching embroidered floral applique details. Once they were just one week out from the wedding day, Mallory's 'maids even took part in some of the sewing! "That was unintentional, but what's a fashion designer's wedding without a little pre-fashion week like hustle?" Mallory joked.

For the ceremony, guests gathered under one of three outdoor tents that had been erected on the property's back lawn. There, a tall arched garden arbor was covered in Spanish moss, a nod to the groom's southern roots, beneath which Mallory and Milo would exchange vows. As a cellist and violinist set the mood with soft, romantic music, Mallory walked down the aisle accompanied by her father, who played double-duty by also officiating the wedding.

"My husband isn't a touchy, feely kind of guy so we wanted the ceremony to be short and sweet," Mallory says. "My dad did the best job. He definitely brought everyone to tears."

After the newlyweds shared their first kiss, the entire party moved to the next tent for the reception. From the linens to the chairs, Mallory envisioned a lot of white at the reception. Silver ombré vases held a variety of pink and red flowers in the center of each table, with different types of succulents surrounding them.

Guests sipped on four choices of signature cocktails, including Herbie's Old Fashioned, named after the couple's dog, Herbert. The groom considers himself "a foodie", so this wedding menu included foie gras, scallops, sliced tenderloin, risotto, and lots of fresh seasonal veggies.

To finish the meal, guests headed to the dessert table, Mallory's pride and joy. It included french macaroons that matched the couple's color scheme of nudes, deep reds, and orange accents. They also enjoyed the couple's red velvet three-tiered wedding cake. At first glance, some attendants mistook the square cake for a sculpture, as it was made by City Cakes to look as if it was carved from marble.